Death at the Priory: Love, Sex, and Murder in Victorian ... (ISBN 0802139744)

Amazon.com Review:
The fatal poisoning of Charles Bravo in 1876 remains a great, unsolved mystery. As James Ruddick shows in this engrossing account, there was no shortage of suspects. Among them were Bravo's wife, Florence, who married the young barrister in part to erase the taint of a recent sexual scandal; Jane Cox, a servant caught spinning a web of lies about what happened the night Bravo died; and James Gully, an esteemed doctor who was also once Florence's lover. "In time, the case passed into the pantheon of English crime, a riddle that drew the interest in speculation of every passing generation," writes Ruddick. It's not hard to see why. Death at the Priory is full of compelling personalities and titillating revelations about what happened behind the closed doors of Victorian England. Ruddick promises something more than a rehash of the established facts: "I discovered the new evidence which has enabled me to expose Charles Bravo's murderer." The author ultimately does not point his finger in a surprising direction, though he has added substantial details to what's known about the case. Fans of true-crime literature will enjoy this book, especially if they're attracted to its historical setting. --John Miller

A genuine scoop on a great story:
A well-written account of a marriage and a murder, gripping from the first page and packed with new information about this unusual case. The Gloria Mundi review is wrong - I checked her sources. The Yseult Bridges book does NOT cover the new information regarding Jamaica in Ruddick's account, and neither does the 1989 book, Murder at the Priory. Bridges refers to Jamaica but does not include the information Ruddick uncovered in his researches on that island - namely the extent of the estate; dates of occupation and so on. I thought Ms Mundi's review rather churlish and carping given the pleasure she obviously derived from Ruddick's book. It is clear that the Bravo case will go on fascinating and intriguing generations to come. But this is a classic of its kind and by far the best work to date, encompassing broad social history and issues about marriage and womanhood that are both interesting and still relevant. I just wish they'd make a movie of the case!

Good, though not the last word on the case:
The fatal poisoning of Charles Bravo is a classic historical mystery, and rightfully so. The case's unique fascination lies with its strange cast of characters, featuring someone who was among the most unsympathetic victims in the annals of crime (as Ruddick notes, Bravo "was the sort of man to whom your mind would instinctively turn when you were told that someone had been expelled from your club for cheating at cards,") and with the extremely narrow list of suspects. Practically speaking, there were only two people in the world who could be said to have the means, motive, and opportunity to poison Bravo, but no evidence has ever been uncovered to prove the guilt of either party. While Ruddick's book is a nicely researched and well-written account of the death of Charles Bravo, it is not nearly as definitive as he thinks. The "new evidence" that he so proudly features in his book has already appeared in print, notably in Yseult Bridges' 1956 study "How Charles Bravo Died," a book that Ruddick cites but does not seem to have actually read. Bridges centered her book around the peculiar personality of the victim, not of the accepted suspects, and in the process devised what is still the most original and intriguing solution to the mystery. It would have been interesting to have Ruddick address Bridges' theories, particularly as he and Bridges had completely different interpretations of cryptic, and probably crucial, conversations that Bravo's new wife, Florence, had with her doctor. While Ruddick certainly presents a plausible theory of Bravo's death, I finished the book with the feeling that the last chapter to this tale has yet to be written.

This book is a priority!:
This is an extremely well-written, suspenseful true crime mystery set in the Victorian era. To me, the author did not only a great writing job, but I really felt transported back in time to that era of sexual repression. There was obviously a lot "happening" then, more than you'd think. The unfolding of one woman's two unsuccessful marriages, and the doomed affair is sure to bring thrills and chills up many a 21st century human's spine. The book includes a few photos of the main protaganists and of the places where they lived and breathed. The poisoning that takes place is gruesomely portrayed and the theories about the never-prosecuted perpetrator were well-researched. One thing I would have liked to understand better is just how abrupt the transitions were between men, i.e. Gully, her lover, seems to leave the picture in the blink of an eye as she makes way for husband number two. And was Florence, the main character, really such a spoiled brat? To me she seems to have had a tremendously hard life for landed gentry. Her father was certainly not overly sympathetic to her needs when she reported her marriage(s) weren't working out so well. By reading about this true crime, pretty much a direct result of sexual repression, we get a great view into the Victorian era. Read it and weep!

Sex and murder and late 19th Century England.:
This is a superb little book about the Bravo murder case, one of the cause celebre's of late Victorian England. If you were a woman married to an abusive husband or merely one that was proving nuisance there were only really two options. Accept it or resort to the weedkiller or some other convenient toxic. The 19th Century is littered with cases where women took the latter route and this is one of the most notorious for two reasons. Firstly they were never able to find a culprit for the crime although though there were several suspects and the circumstances surrounding the case were incredibly salacious even by today's standards. Beautiful wife, faithful retainers, an elderly but very distinguished lover and a brutal husband who used assertion of his conjugal rights as a form of sexual punishment. If this hasn't got you interested then I don't know what will. Then there was the poison used. Antimony. A slow acting corrosive agent that literally causes the internal organs to shred. The author tells the tale of Murder at the Priory, a Neo Gothic residence which still stands in Balham in West London, and review the likely suspects. He produces much new evidence before arriving at conclusion of who was guilty. I agree with his conclusion but won't reveal it. Many have disagreed but on balance he adduces compelling reasons for his selection. Read the book, if murder and scandal are your thing you'll love it.

An absorbing real-life mystery.:
"Death at the Priory: Sex, Love, and Murder in Victorian England" is such a fascinating true-crime book. I'm no expert in this genre, since this is only the second true-crime book I've read, but I think it was expertly told. Author James Ruddick approached the history and telling of the lives in a fictional sort of way - you read it like a story. When it came to his detective work and investigation, it reads like a magazine article. Never did I feel I was reading a file of information. My only complaint is how Ruddick ends this book - it falls flat in comparison to the entire story. If you enjoy mysteries, then take a step back in time and read about a real mystery. I recommend.